a world of café stories

Toby’s Estate, Singapore

By KENNY MAH and CK LIM

On a balmy weekend morning, we visit Toby’s Estate, an Australian café situated at Robertson Quay in Singapore. Just like its headquarters in Sydney, this coffee hotspot draws in the crowds. Even though it is still early, most of the outdoor tables are already packed.

After a brief wait, our server seats us at the window bar. We sit on high stools looking at the human traffic outside. Inside the central communal table has hungry diners elbow-to-elbow.

There are white murals on black-coloured walls (it’s also their menu); a roaster and bags of coffee in one corner. The smell of roasted beans being ground and then brewed is intoxicating.

Sunlight spills in through the ceiling-high windows; the natural lighting is stirring. Our coffees arrive. The long black, dark and serviceable.

We also have a single origin drip, which comes in a small jug and goblet. This is certainly a first. The brew is mellow-tasting, slightly acidic. It goes well with our eggs Benedict.

Though the people come and go, we linger, watching the river and the faces disappearing, chatting happily over our cups of coffee. Unwittingly, an entire morning slips away this way, happily.